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Indoor Activities for Dads & Kids

If you're stuck at home because of bad weather, resist the urge to just plop your kids in front of the TV, although we know that's tempting. Here are a few ideas for dads to make the day fun and pass quickly.

"Camping" Trip

To set up your campground, push a couple of chairs together and cover them with blankets to create a tent. Bring some camping supplies to make it more authentic, like flashlights, bottles of water, and snacks. If you have kid-size fishing poles buried in your garage, dig them out; if you don't, make your own out of a leftover cardboard tube from a paper towel roll. Just punch a hole at one end of the roll and thread some colorful yarn through it to make a fishing line. If you have blue or green construction paper lying around the house, tape the pieces together to create a "river." You can also cut up brown paper shopping bags and have the kids paint them blue.

Indoor Treasure Hunt

Write clever clues on pieces of paper and distribute them around the house, such as underneath sofa cushions or inside a stack of magazines. The kids will have fun finding the clues—and the treasure they point to. Make sure the treasure is worthy of the hunt; otherwise, they'll be disappointed. Ice cream is usually a winner.

Classic Games

Dig deep in your closet for any games you haven't played in a long time. If the kids have never played them before, the retro games will seem fresh and fun to them. You can also make your own bowling pins and ball by using leftover cardboard toilet paper rolls for the pins and substituting a tennis or soccer ball for the bowling ball. Tip: This activity works better on a hard floor than carpet.

Birthday Party Games

Who says you can play Pin the Tail on the Donkey, Musical Chairs or Hot Potato only at a birthday party? You can have the kids draw the donkey poster and design their own tails before bringing out the blindfold. You can throw around just about anything that's not breakable for Hot Potato, but if you want to try to be more authentic, try warming up small bean bags before tossing them into the game.